Butch's Chase
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: (Note: Not an adaptation of Bertie's Chase.) Butch is late, which causes Rusty to leave without him. Now Butch has to catch up to Rusty before he reaches the Steamworks.


One day, Rusty was waiting at Rheneas Station with the Works Train.

The Works Train is a train filled with both standard and narrow engine parts that go to the Steamworks.

It's Rusty's job to take it up to Crovan's Gate every week.

Butch usually brought some of the engine parts from the factories where they were made.

But today, Butch was late, and Rusty was having a hard time waiting.

"Where is he?" Rusty anxiously asked his driver.

"I don't know, Rusty. The only vehicles I see on the road are cars, lorries, and buses, but no Butch."

Rusty sighed and kept on waiting for another 15 minutes, but Butch didn't come.

Sir Handel chuffed into the station with a train of slate.

"What's the hold up, Rusty? You're usually away by now." said Sir Handel.

"Butch is late, and for the first time too." sighed Rusty, "I haven't the faintest idea where he is."

Sir Handel suddenly thought of a very cheeky idea; he liked playing jokes on the other engines, and now was a chance.

"Oh, I saw him on the road. He's broken down, and I was on my way to get help." puffed Sir Handel innocently.

Rusty thought about it for a moment.

"What about the parts?" Rusty asked.

"Erm... Those will arrive by lorry at the same time as Butch." said Sir Handel hastily.

"Good, that's settled." said Rusty and he oiled away.

Sir Handel chuckled to himself, just as Butch came into the parking lot by the station with the parts in a trailer that was towed behind him.

When Butch noticed Rusty was leaving, he honked his horn frantically.

"Stop! Stop!" cried Butch, but Rusty was already gone.

Sir Handel smirked triumphantly.

Butch looked over and saw the smirk on Sir Handel's face.

He connected the dots and grew cross.

"You were the cause of this, weren't you?" huffed Butch.

Sir Handel stuttered and puffed swiftly away before he could answer.

Butch groaned.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Never mind, Butch," said his driver, "We'll catch Rusty in no time."

"I hope so!" sighed Butch impatiently and he took off, out of Rheneas and out onto the road.

Rusty scurried past Glennock, and raced towards a level crossing.

The little Diesel noticed that the gates were closed and came to a halt.

Elizabeth rumbled over the crossing with bags of flour.

But Elizabeth was driving slowly, and Rusty started getting a little impatient.

"You're in a real hurry!" she complained as Rusty honked his horn, "Slow down and enjoy the scenery like a proper engine!"

Rusty snorted.

"I have a delivery to make that must be on time." he complained as the gates opened.

He heard a horn behind him.

"Eh, it's probably Bertie on some giant rush." Rusty reasoned to himself.

But it wasn't Bertie; it was Butch.

The breakdown vehicle drove up to the crossing just as Rusty left.

"Botheration!" grumbled Butch, "Bertie told me all about his chase with Edward, and it took him three tries to try and catch up!"

"Never mind, Butch. We can travel quickly, so we should make it before he reaches Cros-ny-Curin."

Butch sighed as he toiled on.

But Butch hadn't gone very far up the road, when he saw Trevor up ahead, and a long line of cars behind him.

"Ugh, as if this couldn't get any worse!" Butch grumbled.

Trevor was very slow, and the other cars were honking at him rudely.

"I've got to get to my concert!" complained an old lady, who Butch guessed was one of Dowager Hatt's friends.

Butch honked his horn long and loud.

"Hurry up! This is an emergency!"

Trevor was the most patient of the group though.

"Traction engines are slow. I can't help that. If you're so fussy about it, then just drive on another road." Trevor said simply.

"There is no other road!" Butch cried as the road curved, then went alongside the railway.

Skarloey puffed by with some trucks full of coal from the Coal Yard.

"You look tired out, Butch! What's the matter?" asked Skarloey.

"I have to get to the Steamworks as quickly as possible. Do you know a route?"

Skarloey smiled kindly.

"I know a shortcut. There's an old muddy road up ahead that branches off this one," said Skarloey, "It may help you go faster."

Butch was pleased.

"Thank you for the help, Skarloey!" and Butch drove onto the old shortcut.

"Skarloey, are you sure that was a wise idea? That road's old and underused." Trevor asked.

Skarloey chuckled.

"Don't worry, Trevor. It's not dangerous at all. Although it might be a bit slippery..."

Trevor sighed.

"I hope you're right, Skarloey." Trevor said quietly.

"Well, Freddie taught me a few things about hidden shortcuts." Skarloey said as he puffed away.

Trevor just frowned.

The road was muddy and covered in leaves and dirt, but Butch pressed on, determined.

"Must make it... Must make it..."

The driver looked back at the trailer.

"Looks like it's all secured." the driver said gratefully, "Thank goodness... I don't want us to drop anything."

But Butch wasn't paying attention to his driver.

"It looks like we're almost at Crovan's Gate!" he panted, "I just hope we make it in time."

The thick woodland rubbed up against his face, and his tyres were covered in mud.

Butch toiled through the bushes and onto the main road.

"Woohoo, I made it!" Butch said happily, then noticed the Steamworks was still a long way away.

"Darn!" he grumbled as he drove right out besides the station, surprising Peter Sam and Duck.

"Bust my buffers! Where'd he come from?" cried Peter Sam.

Duck was too surprised to say anything.

Rusty, meanwhile, was already there, talking to Victor.

"Well Rusty, seems you have been loyal once again." Victor grinned.

Rusty smiled modestly.

"Of course, Victor. Engines need their parts after all."

"Like me!" called Luke, who was being repaired on the hoist, "Where are my parts?"

Rusty looked over and noticed workmen checking the train.

"Is something wrong?" Rusty asked nervously.

"Err... I think some parts are missing." a workman said.

"Wait... Wasn't a lorry supposed to come with those?" Rusty asked, getting more and more worried.

"What do you mean? Butch usually comes with those! Are you lying, Rusty?" Victor asked suspiciously.

Rusty gulped.

Out on the road, Butch, now his lower side covered in mud, drove on the road around the Steamworks.

"Can't we just go through the bushes?" Butch asked.

"No, that would be dangerous, and you should know." the driver disagreed.

Butch sighed, "but this is an emergency!"

He reached the intersection and gave a turn to the right.

Butch passed another intersection before entering the parking lot.

The breakdown vehicle raced past the transfer table and at last, he panted, tired but triumphant, into the Sodor Steamworks.

He honked his horn as he drove in, all tuckered out.

"Phew! I made it. Rusty, here are the last of the parts!" Butch panted between breaths.

Rusty was surprised.

"W-what? But Sir Handel said you broke down!" Rusty stuttered.

"He's pulling your wheels." replied Butch, "I was just held up at the factory. I think the crane there dropped the parts."

Rusty scowled.

"Oh, that Sir Handel!"

"Sounds familiar." Victor chuckled.

In the background, a familiar yellow crane slipped on some oil and dropped a toolbox.

"Ugh, Kevin!"

"Um..."

"I know the answer already." Victor muttered.

"Thank you, Butch!" said Rusty gratefully, "I would've been in trouble if it hadn't been for you."

"Yes, thank you my friend. We were just about to fix Luke here; he had an accident at the quarry, but we don't have any wheels." said Victor.

Butch chuckled.

"Well, we'll soon get that fixed, now won't we?"

Soon the workmen fitted Luke's new wheel.

"Can I get down now?" asked Luke.

"Of course, my friend." offered Victor as a workman pressed a button.

The hoist lowered.

"That's better." Luke said as his wheels touched the rails.

"Thanks again, Butch." called Rusty.

Butch smiled broadly.

"Any time, friends! It's my job!" and everyone agreed.


End file.
